Workshop to cover organic weed control

Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 December 2010 22:23
Written by Gothenburg Times
Wednesday, 29 December 2010 22:22

A Saturday, Jan. 8, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension workshop will help organic producers better manage weeds.

Managing Weeds with Crop Rotations will feature Randy Anderson, weed ecologist, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, of Brookings, SD. The workshop is from 1:30-4:30 pm in Hardin Hall on UNL’s East Campus in Lincoln.

Anderson has developed a weed management approach based on disrupting weed population dynamics with cultural tactics. In conventional agriculture, this approach has reduced herbicide use 50 percent while still managing weeds effectively, said Liz Sarno, UNL Extension educator and organic project coordinator.

Anderson is now pursuing a similar approach for organic systems; his long-term goal is to develop a continuous no-till system for organic farming.

The workshop will include a presentation that describes principles of weed dynamics that can be used for designing rotations to suppress weed population growth. A prototype organic rotation will be presented.

Following the workshop an organic farmer’s roundtable will discuss 2010 on-farm research results.

On-farm research was done using field size plots and the farmer’s own equipment. Farmers investigated topics from using a flamer to control weeds, crimping small grain cover crops then drilling-in soybean, intercropping, nutrient management on organic farms and planting an aphid resistant soybean variety.

“This is a great opportunity for farmers looking to control weeds with fewer inputs,” Sarno said. “Farmers that are transitioning to an organic farming system will have an opportunity to interact with long-time organic farmers to learn about their cultural practices.”

Researchers and educators will be on-hand to answer questions and discuss results.

This is a free event sponsored by the UNL Organic Working Group and the Organic Crop Improvement Association, Nebraska. Call Pat at 402-584-3837 to reserve a place.

For more information about the workshop or roundtable, call Sarno at (402) 309-0944,
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